Swimming appliance.



J. G. ALFIER & M. J. MANEAS.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 29, 1911.

Patented July 18 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

CDLUMB!A PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON, D. c.

J. G. ALPIER & M. J. MANEAS.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE.

APPLIGATION IILED- 111111. 29, 1911.

Patented July 18, 1911.

2 SHEETSr-SHEET Z.

COLUMBIA PMNOURAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. ALFIER AND MANUEL J. MANEAS, 0F OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN G. ALFIER and MANUEL J. MANnAs, subjects ofthe King of Greece, residing in the city of Oak land, county of Alameda,State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSwimming Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices adapted to be worn by a person engagedin swimming, and more particularly to appliances which will not only aidin sustaining the user near the surface of the water and pre vent hissinking, but also afford propelling mechanism auxiliary tothat afiordedby the usual movement of the limbs.

To these and other useful ends, the invention consists broadly speaking,in a body harness with which is combined wings, blades or paddlespivoted and movable from points located approximately at the shoulderblades of the user, and operatively con nected with the legs at or nearthe heels, whereby each stroke of the latter will impart a propellingaction to such wings, blades or paddles.

The body harness is also preferably wholly or partially constructed offioatable or inflatable material; certain other features and details ofconstruction are also embodied in our invention, one preferredconstruction thereof being illustrated in the accompanying drawingsforming part of this specification, and which we will now proceed todescribe with reference thereto.

In said drawings, similar reference numerals are employed to designatesimilar parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a rear View with our swimming appliance in position. Fig. 2is a side view of a swimmer in the water, with our appliance, the dottedlines showing the extended position of the leg and appliance. Fig. 3 isa rear view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view of one of thepaddles. Fig. 5 is a side broken view of Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a plan viewof the plate to which the blade or paddle is secured.

The numeral 10 indicates themain body portion or jacket of a harness tobe worn by the swimmer adapted to be secured around the chest and backin any suitable manner, leaving the neck and arms free, such bodyportion being preferably con structed at the chest with a chamber 11adapted to be filled with cork or other float- Specification of LettersPatent. Application filed March 29, 1911.

of a standing figure.

Patented July 18, 1911. Serial No. ermss.

able material, or to be inflated with air or gas as may be found mostdesirable. This jacket 10 is made of any desired material and ispreferably fastened centrally in front for convenience, although it maybe of continuous circular form and also adapted to be tightened up bylaces or other devices to suit different girths and sizes of wearers. Ithas two rear extensions 12, 4 from the lower edge of the jacket eachdown to about the thick part of the wearers leg, and there terminatingin bands 13 encircling each limb and afiording secure fastenings atthese points.

Intermediate of the waist line of the body 10 and the encircling legbands 13 and attached to or formed out of the material of the extension12, are eyelets or sheaves 1 1, one to each extension. The harnessfurther, and of necessity, embodies anklets erably composed of straps 15be buckled around the leg just below the ankle joint and having inconnection therewith supplementary straps 15 extending underneath thehollow of the wearers feet.

0 some convenient part at the rear of these anklets 15, we affix one endof a flexible cord 16, and pass the same vertically through the eyeletor sheave 14 on the extension 12, and thence diagonally outward to aconvenient point upon the rear face of a wing, blade or a paddle 17connected to the body 10 of the harness at the back thereof at a pointapproximately located at or near the shoulder blade of the wearer.

It being premised that all of the above auxiliaries to the body 10 areduplicated and disposed for connection and operation with opposite limbsand shoulders of the wearer, we may say that the wings, blades orpaddles 17 are of any light, durable material as aluminum or itsequivalent and by preference of the elongated, curved, spoon-shape withthe concave at the rear and the wide end at the outer free extremity,the cords 16 being connected sufficiently near the latter as to give themost powerful purchase. The inner ends of these members 17 are reducedin area, and provided with offsets 17 adapted to be pivoted between legsl8" pivotally secured upon suitable plates or housing 18, secured to thebody or jagket 10 (at the shoulder portions thereof as alreadymentioned) the pivot pins 19 therefor being preferablyspring-controlled, somewhere as illustrated, and. the whole adapted toadapted to 15 pref-.

--approved movements swivel upon the body 10 or otherwise be constructed upon the general principles of a universal oint, as may befound convenient or desirable.

In the operation of our invention it willbe seen that the body of theswin'nner may be sustained alloat either entirely by the buoyancyalij'orded by the chamber 11 or by its combination with the wings 17',the arms be ing le'l t entirely tree to be given any of the for swimmingwithor buoyant device, (thus inspirout harness ing confidence and aidingthe wearer 1n acquiring the natural artot' swimming) while the :torward,backward and outward movements ot the legs will, through the flexible(though normally tense) cord cormections between the anklcts and thewings 17, attord to the hands and arms powerfully enhanced means ofpropulsion through the water. The also, being thus insured againstsinking toward the bottom, as is always a detriment to young swimmers,will be controlled and directed in their movements until within a shorttime, any beginner using our appliance will naturally fall into the samepositions and actions when deprived of the appliance as though it werebeing worn, should he unexpectedly find himself in the water without it.

While we have described and illustrated what we consider to be the mostsimple and convenient embodiment of our invention, it must be understoodthat we do not limit ourselves to the precise details of construction orarrangement oil? parts herein above set forth, as the same may be variedor modified according to skill or judgment without departing "from theprinciples or sacrificing the a d vanta ges ol our invention.

What we 0 aim and desire to secure by Letters Patenti as follows:

1. A swinu'ning appliance embodying a harness and means of propulsion;such harness ctuisisting of a jacket for the wearers body, downward rearextensions therefrom one for each leg, eyelets or sheaves on eachextension and anklets or heel fixtures near each heel; and suchpropelling means consisting of wings, blades or paddles pivotallyconnected to the rear of the jacket, one at or near each shoulder, andcord connections extending from such anklets through the eye lots orsheaves on the extensions, to points upon the rear of the wingsintermediately of their ends.

2. in a swinnning appliance embodying a harness and means of propulsion,the combination with a body-jacket having a buoyancy elementincorporated therewith, extensions from the lower rim of said jacketadapted to lie along the rear of the wearers legs, eyelets upon saidextensions, bands rorming anklets or heel tastenings elongated, concavedwings, blades or paddles having swiveling connections at their innerends with the shoulder blade portions of the jacket atthe rear thereofand cord connections between the anklet bands and the rear faces of thewings, approaching their outer free ends.

3. in a swinnning appliance embodying a harness and means of propulsion,the combination with a body-jacket having a buoyancy elementincorporated therewith, extensions from the lower rim of said jacketadapted to lie along the rear of the wearers legs, eyelets upon saidextensions, bands forming anklets or heel tastenings, elongated,concaved wings, blades or paddles having swiveling connections at theirinner ends with the shoulder blade portions of the jacket at the rearthereof, springs at such swiveling connections normally in tension, andcord connections between the anklet bands and the rear faces of thewings, appreaching their outer free ends.

ln witness whereof we hereunto aflix our signatures in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN G. ALFIER. MANUEL J. MANEAS.

ll itnesses An'rnun L. SLEE, Pn'rnn E. Anonsi'.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

